Our dearly beloved Uncle Qasem Mahmud, passed away yesterday. May Allah enter him into His mercy and grant him the highest levels of Jannah for all he has done for our community!

Uncle Qasem was not only one of the owners of the Long Bay Camp grounds, where we have had the MYO camp for over 30 year. He was a great patron of kids and youth becoming more in touch with the creator and with creation. He encouraged youth to reconnect to God through reconnecting with nature and art.

We cherished his lovely stories when he visited each year, for the many years of the MYO camp. He would share his knowledge and his experiences, but above all he would share his love of seeing young Muslim children experiencing the beauty of God's creation.

May Allah bless him, have mercy on him, and offer his family and loved ones recompense and patience.

Kindly post your condolences below and we will be dedicating a charitable donation in his memory to help needy children.

The funeral janazah prayer will take place on Wednesday June 28th at 1:30pm at the Ottawa Main Mosque at 251 Northwestern Ave. followed by the burial at the Pinecrest Cemetary.

Condolences will be held at the SNMC Mosque 3020 Woodroffe Ave on Wednesday June 28th to Thursday June 29th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

I would meet up with Uncle Qasem throughout the year occasionally for a coffee. He would share stories and offer advice and guidance. I learnt many things about the camp, the lakes, and of course being dedicated to serving the community.

One year he learnt about my experience and love of nature, and how much I actually cared about the wildness. So, last year when we were meeting in the food court of his work building he had something to share with me.

He said, "Omar, I have something for you." he cleared his throat in the way he usually does with a gentle cough and continued, "I have a document that I've been compiling over the years, and I think you will appreciate it and do something with it" I told him I was intrigued, and he continued, "I have compiled a list and description of as many animals and plants that I could find that exist at Long Bay Camp. I think you will know what to do with it".

I look forward to not only using this to carry on his legacy of helping kids reconnect with nature, but also as a principle to always support those who are trying to do good.

May Allah rest your soul and raise you with the pious and the prophets.

Aameen.

Reply

Hesham

6/29/2017 10:10:35 am

*** The day I got reported for my concerning views ***
In Loving Memory of Qasem Mahmoud
It was 2003 and I was 18 years old. I had just finished high school and started attending university. My alma mater, Bell High School, had put me on the speaking roster for Friday khutbahs. I felt compelled to commit to giving Khutbahs there. After all, that’s where I started giving khutbahs. It was sheer need that had me stand up to give Khutbahs in front of my fellow students. I was still an ESL student when I started 4 years earlier. My khutbahs had improved over the 4-year period I spent in high school and now that I graduated and was in university, I thought I would return as a “seasoned” khateeb.
I do not really remember what I spoke about in my Khutbah that particular Friday but I remember encouraging Muslim students to stay true to Islam; to do their salah, stay away from haram and for sisters to observe the hijab, and if they can, they should also wear the niqaab because, at that time, I believed that it was better!
When I was still in high school, we had a teacher who would come sometimes to supervise the khutbah but since I graduated and the coming of a new principal, adult volunteer community members would come to supervise the khutbahs. My niqaab comment did not sit well with one of the supervisors. She requested my phone number and said that we need to talk. A couple of days later, she called me and told me that she spoke with the then-Imam of OMA mosque, Imam Gamal Soliaman, may Allah have mercy on him, and said that he is expecting me regarding my concerning views. Sure enough, I went to the mosque and I introduced myself. He told me that the niqaab was not mandatory and I should not be making things difficult for people. I knew the debate about the niqaab was a valid one from an Islamic perspective but I was bothered because I felt that I was muffled. I felt that people ought to know about scholarly differences and then it’s up to them to make their own choices. I felt that no one had the right to strip me from my right of freedom of speech. I was disgruntled but Imam Gamal was not going to discuss the issue further.
Later, I found out that I was dropped from the roster due to recommendation made by the supervisor and that I was replaced by an older man named Qasem Mahmoud. I had never heard of him or seen him before. This news was not communicated to me ahead of time. I had only found out the hard way; the next time I went to the school to give the khutbah. I was told, “You cannot give khutbahs here anymore!” I felt angry and betrayed but had no choice but to sit down, listen to the khutbah, and deal with my emotions.
Honestly, I did not think much of the khutbah that day. I thought that it was “too soft” and that it did not really touch base with the needs of the teens that were there. The khutbah was about the basics; which I had dismissed as too trivial. I was too proud and arrogant. After all, what’s a khutbah if it’s not sensational and electrifying!
However, that khutbah had a big impact on me and I only realized it when I got older. Here was me! A zealous 18 years old who had subconsciously reduced Islam to looks and appearances. After all, how can someone be a good Muslim with no beard or above-ankle pants for men and big wide hijab/jilbab/niqaab for women! I wanted to “see results” out of my khutbahs, but here was a much older man who cared more for the “tarbiyah” of young Muslims. He wanted to make sure that they needed to know the basics.
I had inadvertently tied the religiosity of Muslims to the adherence to some fiqhi opinions; and to visible things no less. In my quest to “call people to Allah”, I was materialistic and wanted to see tangible “signs” of people’s religiosity. However, the wisdom of the late Qasem Mahmoud, may Allah mercy on him, was more concerned about their spiritual beings. He wanted to nurture their souls and help them grow; one step at a time. It was about priorities! And that’s something I feel that we are still lacking today.
The older I get, the more I study and reflect, the more I realize how wrong I was and how correct he was. I did not think much of that khutbah that day but it had a lasting and important impact on me. It made me a better khateeb today.
Qasem Mahmoud worked hard for Islam before it was popular or cool to do so. It was the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s! There was no social media; no Facebook, YouTube or Instagram. Making dawah and educating people then was much harder than now but he did it and continued to do so until the very end. May Allah have mercy on him and may he rest in peace.
NB: no fiqhi opinion is to be deemed “concerning” but understand that this was just two years after 9/11 and there was concerns over radicalization and extremism. Older community members wanted to protect our rights

Reply

Hind Gebara

6/29/2017 12:43:37 pm

Inaa lillah wa inaa eelayhe rajioon
May Allah have mercy on brother Qasem Mahmoud
My children have such fond memories of Long Bay camp

Brother Qasem was the true father of our Muslim community. He helped to build the foundation of our community services and helped us to stay connected. He had the biggest and most caring heart where he supported others selflessly and sometimes at his own expenses. He was the founder of first Arabic/Islamic school in Ottawa. He created an Arabic curriculum with books that are sold to schools in many parts of the world. Long Bay Camp is one of his creation to connect our youth to each other and our Muslim faith. He served our community by being a spokesperson on many human rights issues. He engaged other faith leaders in interfaith dialogue to create understanding and build bridges between communities. He was a true role model. He raised the bar so high for all of us to expect the best from ourselves and reach our highest potentials. He will be dearly missed. May Allah bless his soul with his mercies and grant him paradise.